This invention relates to a tool holder and more particularly to a plier sheath which may be removably attached to a knife sheath or may be removably attached to a person's belt.
Outdoor sportsmen in general, and hunters and fishermen in particular, use such equipment as knives and pliers when they pursue their recreational interests. It is common for a hunter whether he is out in the forest, on a ranch, a lake or a river hunting wild animals or birds to use a knife or pliers in connection with his hunting. Furthermore, it is common for a fisherman, whether he is fishing from a boat, from a pier or wading in water, to have a need for a knife or a pair of pliers. Presently, hunters and fishermen and outdoor sportsmen in general carry knives in sheaths attached to their belts. However, pliers are typically carried in boxes or in other receptacles which are not convenient or readily accessible. Thus, when a hunter needs pliers to repair his equipment while he is out in the field he either has to leave his stalking or hiding place in order to retrieve his tool box or he has to search through his pockets or a tool box that he carries to fine the pliers. During that process he creates noise and loses valuable time causing his targets to run or fly away before he has the opportunity to shoot them. Moreover, a fisherman sometimes has a greater need for pliers in order, for example, to make repairs to his rod, reel or other tackle or in order to remove hooks from large, often uncooperative and possibly dangerous fish. Therefore, he is at a great disadvantage if he has to fumble through his tackle box or through his pockets or if he has to travel to where his tool box is located every time he catches a fish necessitating use of pliers or every time that he needs to make repairs. This disadvantage is more pronounced in the case of wade fishermen who often find themselves in water waist-deep or deeper. It is very impractical and very inconvenient for a wade fisherman to carry his tool box with him, to carry his pliers in his pockets, or to leave the water in search of his pliers every time that he needs to use them. Therefore, there has been a need for a device enabling outdoor sportsmen such as hunters and fishermen to carry their pliers along with their knives and to have those pliers readily accessible and available for use as and when the need arises.
Tool carriers removable attached to the user's belt are known. Such tool carriers are discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 755,009; 1,088,406; 2,500,257; 2,664,231; 2,758,798; 3,130,883; 3,239,057; 4,006,851; and 4,047,650. Furthermore, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,088,406; 2,664,231; and 2,758,798 plier sheaths removably attached to the belt are also known. One drawback of these prior art plier sheaths is that by being directly attached to the belt they occupy a portion of the belt by themselves, thus limiting the belt space available for other usages and causing crowding and inconvenience.
In the prior art attempts were made to develop a multiple tool carrier to avoid the multiple belt attachments and to reduce tool crowding. U.S. Pat. No. 2,758,798 discloses a multiple tool carrier which includes various socket-like members which are removably attached to a large flat member. The socket-like members vary in size and, therefore, the carrier can be used to carry tools of different sizes according to the needs of the individual. The large flat member is attached to the belt. One difficulty with this carrier is that the socket-like elements that support the different tools are individually and directly attached to the larger flat member and, therefore, they are spread out forming a large overall multiple tool carrier which is very inconvenient. Another problem is that regardless of how few tools are carried or how small the tools are, the large back panel must be used. In addition, the individual sockets, though removable, do not have the capability of being directly attached to the belt.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,130,883 discloses a tool carrier attachable to a belt that may carry a hatchet and a knife. One difficulty is that because each tool is attached separately to a larger flat member, a large carrier that restricts the free movement of the individual is required. Another difficulty is that the whole tool carrier must be used regardless of whether there is only a need to carry one of the two tools.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,407,650 discloses a sportsman's multi-purpose utility pouch which is combined with a knife sheath. The various pockets for the cartridges and other accessories and the knife sheath are spread horizontally on a large continuous flat panel which is attachable to the belt. This pouch has similar drawbacks, as compared to the previously disclosed multiple tool carriers. First, the pouch is large because of the attachment of each individual receptacle directly to the backing panel and because of the horizontal addition of the knife sheath. Also, its integral construction does not offer the capability of reducing the size of the tool carrier by moving certain receptacles when they are not in use. Specifically, because of the pouch's construction, one has to carry the knife sheath even though he does not have use for a knife.
The present invention eliminates the difficulties and drawbacks of the prior art by providing a plier sheath which may be attached, removably or non-removably, to a knife sheath which in turn may be removably attached to a belt. This feature makes the tool carrier smaller and more convenient to carry. Furthermore, a plier sheath is provided which not only may be removably attached to the knife sheath but it may also be removably attached to a belt. Therefore, the nuisance of carrying unnecessary tools is eliminated and the user of the present invention may choose, for example, to take with him the pliers only, leaving the knife behind in a safe place. In general, the present invention enables an outdoor sportsman to carry a pair of pliers and a knife in a convenient fashion so that he can fully enjoy his recreational interests and leisure time.
These and various other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description and claims and by referring to the accompanying drawings.
The above objects are attained in accordance with the present invention by the provision of an apparatus fabricated in a manner substantially as described in the above abstract and summary.